Local candidates matter

Local government is “where the rubber hits the road” as Barack Obama said in reference to the role of local governments in making change. While our national presidential candidates “yak in the Senate,” mayors and city councils “actually have to fill the potholes and trim the trees” and make decisions that often directly affect the daily lives of Americans more than a national celebrity or maverick.

With one week to go before election, I encourage you to take a few minutes to look at local candidates. If you look close enough, I think you’ll arrive at the same decision the Empower Poly Coalition did: that Jan Marx should once again serve on San Luis Obispo’s City Council. But before I tell you about Jan’s plans for San Luis Obispo and why she is deserving of your support, I want to address something we’ve been hearing an awful lot about lately: the youth vote.

Because as much as politicians like to talk about how we are the country’s future, it is rare to find a candidate who has an actual track record of supporting an issue important to young voters, let alone in a town where the students cycle in and out every four to five years. Believe me, ask around town and you’ll learn that local politicians do not have to cater to student issues because we are not a large enough voting block to decide the election.

But what if there was a local candidate whose record and platform positively affected the lives of Cal Poly students? They would need a large number of votes from students to win, right?

This is why the Empower Poly Coalition voted to endorse Jan Marx for San Luis Obispo City Council.

Through her experience as an environmental activist, an attorney, a business owner and a former city council member, Jan has acquired a unique perspective on how to work towards sustainability at the local level.

A self-described conservationist, both fiscally and environmentally, Jan is a unique politician who truly understands that our economic and ecological futures are directly connected.

And nowhere is this ideology more evident than in her championing a campaign this last year with her Rotary Club and Cal Poly students to fund the “missing link” of the new Railroad Safety Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail being built by the city parallel to California Boulevard.

As chair of the local Rotary Club’s Clean and Green Program, Jan helped raise more than $32,000 from hundreds of community members and Cal Poly parents and helped persuade the city to fund the 500-foot trail section from Cal Poly’s border to Foothill Boulevard.

When the trail is completed, a Cal Poly student will be able to safely and quickly ride from Cal Poly over the 101 (on a new bike bridge) and downtown. With long-term plans to connect this trail to the train station and other bike and pedestrian trails it is imperative that we have a leader like Jan who understands that bike trails improve local air quality, save citizens (and students) money and promote healthy living.

Another outdoor project that Jan supported was the opening of Bishop’s Peak to the public in the ’90s. Much like the bike trail, Jan worked with local environmental organizations to raise community funds and persuade the city, county and state agencies to purchase, maintain and plan trails around Bishop’s Peak. As a believer in people power, Jan has a track record of using grassroots fund raising efforts to improve the city in ways that are beneficial for both residents and students.

Her connection with Cal Poly students goes beyond leading important community projects. She and her husband, a Cal Poly English professor, are neighbors to students, choosing to live in a densely populated area close to Cal Poly. She also appointed the youngest member ever, a Cal Poly student, to the San Luis Obispo Planning Commission years ago while on city council.

If elected, Jan will make smart decisions about the future of this city while always lending an ear to the voice of students. She will work to implement cutting edge renewable energy and smart growth policies, expand local bike trails and appoint more students to city commissions and advisory boards. So come Nov. 4, I encourage you to vote for Jan Marx and help give our local government the traction it needs to pedal to a sustainable future.

Chad Worth is an industrial engineering senior and former President of the Empower Poly Coalition.